Edgar spread out his hands, ready with a rebuttal.
“No.” I made a stop motion. “The answer is no. If you can create a flower that isn’t lethal to strangers, and that doesn’t move all the time, we’ll talk. Otherwise, please go back to work on the gnomes.”
Before he could argue, I strode away. My patience was starting to fray, I was close to shouting, and I didn’t want to be confronted with his desire to be retired. I worried I might actually take him up on it this time, just to get a little peace from the freaking killer flowers.
“Thanks for the help back there, bub,” I muttered to Tristan as we worked our way to the house. “I thought you were going to step in at some point and end the madness.”
“I’m good at many things, but speaking logic to that vampire is not one of them. I don’t even care that I failed you. The less I understand that vampire, the better for my mental health.”
“Yeah,” I said on a sigh. I couldn’t really fault him. “Please tell me that Niamh’s hacker is the last meeting of the day, Mr. Tom has prepared an amazing dinner, and Austin will be available to take a very long bubble bath behind a closed,lockeddoor.”
“Niamh’s hacker is the last, no idea about Mr. Tom, but I hope so, because I’m starving, and I’ll be taking my own bubble bath, so I won’t be concerned about yours. This day has been exhausting, even though I wasn’t the one searching for and practicing spells. How have you kept this pace for months?” he demanded. “It’s not healthy, Jessie. We probably need to sit down and figure out a better situation.”
“It might not be healthy, but it’s essential. In a few weeks, we’re going to be on the road— Crap, remind me to tell Austin about the latest with the gargoyle cairns. Anyway, we’re going to be on the road— Shoot, I need to send a message to the mages about a connection request gift. Or did I tell you to do that? Or can we just show up at their cairn?”
We reached the back door, and he stepped forward to open it for me. “You told me. I think I have it, though—I was looking things up when you were muttering about magical spells. I’ll show you after the meeting, while you fill Austin in and Mr. Tom is hopefully serving up something good, and right before we all break for bubble baths.”
“Great. But yeah, we’ll be on the road. It’ll be stressful, but there will be more time to rest. Though…” I bit my lip as I wound through the house. “I guess I should use that downtime to work on body language and subtlety?—”
“Jessie.” Mimi stopped us in the hall as I felt Austin step onto the property. His stride was slow. Through our bonds, I could feel his exhaustion. “That blown-glass bowl is exquisite. Excellent style and craftsmanship. Did I hear you correctly that you were thinking about procuring that for a production cairn?”
“No, it was a connection request-slash-gift. It’s from their cairn’s new production cairn.”
“Ah. Pity.” She passed by.
“If all conversations could be as succinct as that, we would get through the day so much more quickly,” Tristan murmured.
“You’re telling me.”
The front door opened as I reached it. Austin stepped through with a rumpled shirt and sports sweats. He’d obviously had to shift, probably to train. He was doing a ton of that, wanting to show well for the other packs. “Hey, baby,” he said wearily, pulling me into a hug. “How was your day?”
“Same as normal. Do you have time for a bubble bath later?”
“Lots of time, yes. What’s the story with the flowers?”
I groaned as I leaned against him and felt Niamh coming up the walk. “They’re better at thinking now, which doesn’t matter because they’ll still kill anyone they don’t recognize. Edgar just isn’t getting the idea. How was your day?”
He stroked my back before pulling away. “Mostly good. The new shifter is a grizzly, highly intelligent, and seems open-minded. I think she’ll be a great addition. I messed up on a bar order, though, and had to make a run to get more alcohol.” He rubbed his hand down his face. “I need to fast-track hiring a manager, but I don’t have time to devote to that right now, or the other businesses.” With a quick kiss, he headed for the stairs. “I’ll be right back down. Just going to change.”
Niamh stopped in the doorway. “Well, Jessie, how’s things? Are ye well?”
I pointed to the sitting room. “Would you join me for a moment? Tristan, you can wait out here.”
She led the way, settling into a chair and putting her sneakered shoes on the ottoman.
I sat down on the couch. “The manipulation game has to end,” I started without preamble. “I know you’re doing your thing, and I have no doubt I’ll be glad of it soon enough, but I don’t like Austin using those tactics on me, and I don’t like you using them on my team. I don’t want to feel like I have no control of what happens in this house and in my life. I got out of a controlling relationship, and I willnotfall into another one, no matter how well meaning. If you want me to hire someone, you bring that person to me directly. If you want to give Tristan a kick in the arse, you tell me first that there’s a problem that we can maybe solve. You are not the leader of this team, I am, and I cannot do my job if I’m in the dark about half the things going on.”
Her look was placid, and the silence stretched. I let her take all that in.
“I wondered if ye’d push back,” she finally said. “Good girl, yerself. There is just one more seed planted, but she isn’t actually on yer team, so that doesn’t matter.”
“Fine.” I relaxed into the cushions, a little surprised with myself that I’d been so bold. Then again, I’d hit my limit, and getting that out there was my relief valve. “Tristan, you can come in now,” I called.
His glowing gaze was rooted to Niamh. “How did you give me a kick in the arse?”
“I knew full well ye wouldn’t tolerate Jessie’s frustration over that donkey Mr. Tom smothering her. He’s unbearable when he’s trying to organize dinner, let alone manage someone with as many demands and interruptions as Jessie has these days. I figured you’d step in to give her some space, and that might remind ye that yer job isn’t standing in a corner like some creep. We already have someone doing that, like. The vampire is plenty good at that role, whether we like it or not. No, ye needed a more active role in her professional life. If this didn’t work, I had a few other ideas to make ye step up.”
He was as quiet now as she’d just been a moment ago, equally taking it all in. “What about your prediction that I was too self-centered for a job like this?”
